Among scholars, debate has centered on the
question of when conversion to Islam primarily
took place, especially in the Islamicate heartlands
of the Middle East. The consensus, that the major-
ity of such conversions took place during the ninth
century, is probably more correct for some areas,
such as Iran, than for others, such as Egypt, where
evidence points to a considerably later turning
point. A more interesting question, however, is
why and how conversion occurred; this question
has yet to be taken up in a serious manner.
In the outlying areas of Islamdom, particularly
in Southeast Asia and Central Asia, but also in
South india and Bengal, conversion to Islam came
about as a result of different factors, largely the
role of traders and sUFis, who were able to offer
a different and convincing system of belief and
worship that attracted followers. Conversion to
Islam continues to contribute significantly to the
growth of the community, with major, organized
efforts now underway in Africa, where Muslim
and Christian missionaries are in direct competi-
tion, but also in Europe and North America.
See also apostasy; christianity and islam;
copts and the coptic chUrch; JUdaism and islam;
latin america.
John IskanderFurther reading: Richard Bulliet, Conversion and the
Poll Tax in Early Islam (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard
University Press, 1979); Daniel Dennett, Conversion and
the Poll Tax in Early Islam (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard
University Press, 1950); Richard Eaton, The Rise of
Islam and the Bengal Frontier, 1204–1760 (Berkeley: Uni-
versity of California Press, 1993); Michael Gervers and
Ramzi Bikhazi, eds., Conversion and Continuity: Indig-
enous Christian Communities in Islamic Lands, Eighth
to Eighteenth Centuries (Toronto: Pontifical Institute of
Medieval Studies, 1990).
Copts and the Coptic Church
The Copts are members of the native Christian
church of egypt. The name Copt, like the name
Egypt, comes from the Greek word Aegyptos.
Thus, Coptic was used to mean Egyptian. When
the Arab Muslims conquered Egypt in 641–42,
they continued to use the word Copt to refer to
the indigenous Christian population, the descen-
dants of the ancient Egyptians. Today Egypt is
85 percent to 90 percent Muslim, and all its resi-
dents consider themselves Egyptians, while the
term Copt refers specifically to a member of the
country’s native Christian population.
The Christian community in Egypt traces
its origins to the Apostle Mark (first century).
Although the Egyptian church suffered many
persecutions under the Roman emperors, when
Christianity became the dominant religion of the
Roman Empire in the early fourth century, the
church flourished and Alexandria was the center
both of religious and intellectual life. Egypt was
also the birthplace of monasticism.
Despite the contributions of the Coptic Church,
by the fifth century, theological differences and
political tensions were straining the relationship
between the Copts and the other Christians of
what was then the Byzantine Empire. In the sev-
enth century, Islam arose in Arabia, and a Muslim
army invaded Egypt under the leadership of Amr
ibn al-As (d. ca. 663), one of the companions oF
the prophet.
Relations between the Christian Coptic popu-
lation and the Arab Muslim rulers ranged from
antagonism to cooperation depending on social,
economic, and regional factors. The Copts were
granted dhimmi status as a protected community
under Islam but were also expected to pay an
additional tax. Muslim rulers relied on the Copts
to continue the administration of the country, and
Copts held important positions in government
throughout the medieval era. Although Cop-
tic remained the language of administration for
about a century after the arrival of Islam, Arabic
language and Islamicate culture gradually came to
dominate in Egypt, and Copts began to convert to
Islam in increasing numbers. This was especially
true during a time of persecution in the 14thK 166 Copts and the Coptic Church